Testimonials Mental and Behavioral Health in Scottsdale Reflective Moments Counseling Center, LLC in Scottsdale

In 2010, my husband and I were awarded foster-care placement pending adoption of three little girls' ages (ages: 2, 4 & 5). When found by CPS 10 months prior, they were described as feral as they meowed and barked and crawled around on the floor. CPS determined this was the result of extreme environmental neglect….they had no language skills [not English nor Spanish]. The girls communicated with each other in a baby-babble. My husband and I had been visiting with them each weekend for five months prior to being awarded placement. We immediately requested counseling services to assist the girls and us as parents, in helping to navigate their disturbed attachment issues. We were assigned to Suzi Wall and what a difference her involvement and support has made for us! Her knowledge, skills, and experience were exactly what we needed to begin the recovery process for our girls. 

It was Suzi who told us the importance of getting speech therapy for these girls as soon as possible when the schools and social workers and other staff were telling us we could wait. We immediately took all three to a private speech therapist for evaluation and learned their delays ranged from severe (oldest) to moderate (middle) to not-delayed (youngest); and this report enabled us to begin the speech therapy services immediately for the older two girls. Suzi used various non-verbal methods to reveal the mystery that was our girls’ lives prior to foster care. Initially, she used puppets for the girls to interact with and respond to guided stories with Suzi. They had never held crayons or done any coloring, so she introduced them to drawing with colored pencils and she interpreted what they drew for us.  

For our oldest, at age five, she had to begin Kindergarten with no communication skills or writing skills. For the first few weeks, she seemed to be doing well with attending, but then suddenly she began to cry hysterically and cling to my husband when he dropped her off. It was Suzi who helped us understand the abandonment, anxiety, and trauma they had experienced. My husband had to stay with her for over 12 weeks as she gained confidence and eventually did move past her fears. What a day that was when she got out of the car and waved goodbye as she walked herself onto the Kindergarten playground. Suzi would visit the school and observe their interaction and social skills. She would attend the IEP [Individual Education Plan] team meetings with me to help educate these educators about my girls. Now at age 10, my older daughter has acquired speech communication and processing skills to put word-description to her memories. She remembers being so frightened in Kindergarten, “afraid that my new home and family would just disappear and not be there anymore…” My ten year-old graduated from her IEP in 3rd grade and is a successful 4th grader…a gifted learner in all subjects.  

My now eight year-old is a successful 2nd grader. When she was in Kindergarten, Suzi knew something was not quite right, and encouraged us to continue to have her assessed by various disciplines. We learned our daughter had vision-related learning problems that were not known until 1st grade. After one year of vision therapy, we knew she needed more time and so we insisted (over the objection of the educators) that she repeat 1st grade. She then completed two years of vision therapy and when she entered 2nd grade last fall, she had full access to her visual system for the first time. She too is a successful student and is a gifted learner in all subjects.  Our youngest, now seven-years old, did not have the delays her older sisters experienced and so she has been a very successful Kindergartner and now 1st grader—also a gifted learner in all subjects. Our three girls will always be our blessing. Thank you.